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It's all in his head. An active imagination and consistent daydreaming. That's all it is. Really. The same dream, for over twenty years now, counting both lives.
As time passed the story becomes more complicated, more detailed and convoluted. But why wouldn't it? He's been thinking of it for so long. Of course it develops. Twisting this way and that, until it becomes so grand that he knows no one could ever mistake it for reality. Dull, boring reality.
Sure, there's princesses and knights and magic spells, but that doesn't translate to interesting. Not when in his mind he sees demons and ancient curses and his own inescapable grasp. A grand fantasy he shares with his like-minded friends companions. Because, well, who doesn't like getting lost in fantasy? Especially this one, which he's been dreaming of since his life began in a different world.
He first meets Alpha, and he sees her desperate, and scared, and he sees a kid. He thinks she should be at home, instead of cast out, playing like kids her age should be. So when she asks for answers, he smiles a storytellers smile.
In his head pops the name 'Diablos', and soon after a re-imagining of the history of this world that everyone knows. Alpha clings to it, finding a comfort in the tale the way only children can. She pledges loyalty to him, an agreement to play this game with him.
Soon comes the others, all equally entranced by the story he tells (more and more elaborate by the day, as details manifest in dreams and in between blinks). They add to the story, to the game, painting the insistent slavers around the area as minions of the cult. A way to ferry innocents into death and despair.
He accepts it, finding the additions fun. As he hears Beta tell him all these new details, more scenarios appear in his head. Dungeons full of torture and ghosts long dead, and him lurking over it. Delivering revenge to corpses and damaging cuts to the cult behind it all.
Quickly after he thinks it, he finds himself in the scenario. From the blood stains to the stones, it all mirrors his imagination. He's impressed, and makes sure to tell Alpha how appreciative he is of her work. She nods, keeping in character so he does the same.
One night Claire goes missing from her room. A kidnapping. He first thinks it to be the work of someone thinking they can get a ransom. Then Beta enters his room, painting the situation as yet another game. As she lists where Claire is, he feels something wrong. A spot on the map she has sprawled out feels just like his sister.
A knife gets thrown, marking the location. Beta questions him about it, and he thoughts of his sister being there appear in his head. The strange certainty he had just a moment ago vanished, replaced with full disbelief of her being there. He doesn't let Beta know. Instead he plays it up, his role as the eminence in shadow forcing complete confidence.
It doesn't matter if she's there or not, anyway. The family's guards are competent enough. Everything after this happens in a blur of excitement. A bandit roped into the game, with enough character to allow Cid to envision a suitable backstory for (Shadow blinks and sees him cradling a young girls hand, as robed men grab and restrain and–). Pills on the ground (a towering arm, scientists mulling around as they extract–), and desperate crying, and really, the girls have outdone themselves yet again.
After Alpha's report, and confirmation of Claire's safety (was she there? She couldn't have been, they must have grabbed her and staged the rescue to suit the story line), things settle. The slavers reduce in number, and consequently their little group starts to play less and less.
Years pass, and they leave to join the real world, leaving him to himself. But they don't leave his imagination. Delta frenzies through a pure white room, tearing into a Knight of the Rounds with her claws. Beta chases after princesses in dark, abandoned sewers. Gamma stands before a unit, above a burning auditorium.
As expected of Cid Kagenou, he joins the Academy. His sister nags him, and as he blinks he sees her bleeding out before a red moon. Princess Alexia clings to his arm, and he sees her staring at him as he speaks of things beyond her. The Student Council President passes him in the hallway, and he sees her in a wedding dress, staring as Shadow defeats what should be undefeatable.
It excites him. He spends nights staring at a piece of paper, scribbling things he wants to do (things he has dreamt himself doing) in a giddy haze. He meets up with Skel and Po, and they ask him if they think there'll be a quiz the following day, and he imagines cloaked men bursting into the school.
The next day it happens, and he can't help himself from reenacting all kinds of scenarios that he's only dreamt of. Striking down Sherry's father, she rushes in soon after. She screams, and Shadow says nothing, mimicking a dream he had a while ago.
Finding Gamma after the ordeal is over, and compliments her quick response. She nods, a slight smile on her face, and the girls behind her bow. He slips away, Cid Kagenou melding into the crowd, to be escorted to the infirmary.
As he lays in the bed, eyes closed, he thinks of a church conspiracy, of a tradition of torture carried on for millennia. Of a woman with violet eyes, who dances with him so he can help her die. Time passes, and Alpha invites him to Lindwurm. He blinks. A grand tournament, a false stage, flickers through his mind.
Cid plays back the events of the day. He wonders for a second, mulling over the real destruction caused, if this wasn't pretend. He thinks it might be not be, caused by a very real cult he thought fiction. But then he thinks on it more. Images of cloaked figures huddled together, scheming something for years on years centre in his mind. He almost laughs. Of course there's no cult. It's fiction (theres a symbol. triangles and circles overlapping and a conspiracy lasting a millennia.).
He takes the train. Arriving in the city, he finds Beta. She's surrounded by plagiarised works, and he finds himself less than impressed. At least she didn't claim his story as her own. Her authors note is strange, Rose becoming confused at the ancient script. Cid smiles, imagining herding down cult members and men pierced by magic too quick for them to grasp.
Later, after the whole Goddess' Trial thing is done with, he steps through the door that keeps following him. Keeping pace with Violet (as he has dubbed her), he finds himself excited enough that for the first time in a while his mind doesn't stray. The closest he gets is when they find the sword, and the barest impression of 'a chosen one' flicks past his thoughts.
They escape, breaking out from the sanctuary. For a brief moment he wonders if that was real, the experimentation and church conspiracy and all the things he's dreamt of for years. But then he thinks of it a little more, fantastical scenes coming to his mind, and understands that it's just fantasy.
Lazily he looks at his companion, Violet, and he thinks of his sister. He blinks, their faces overlapping (an in depth and almost indecipherable magic formula sits on Claire's arm, she traces a finger over it and–), and he moves on.
Leaving back to the city, more time passes. He stares at his ceiling. He imagines his companion standing before Beta and Rose, blood swirling around them. Really, Violet could truly pull of a female eminence of shadow.
Another tournament rolls into town, and Cid imagines standing before the crowd. Below him, Princess Iris gasps for breath. The crowd holds it breath. Shadow reveals himself. He giggles with excitement. This really is the perfect opportunity to do something like that, to fulfil a dream he's had all his life.
As the Bushin Festival progresses, he runs into an elf. She asks him if he's seen her niece. For a moment Cid imagines Beatrix holding the small hand of a young Alpha, of Beatrix waiting amidst a mess of politics for a crucial moment. Then the moment is gone.
Everything happens a bit quickly after that. The whole event with Rose, and Shadow finally revealing himself leaves him feeling exhilarated. He's off his game enough to allow his sister to corner him, and drag him away to a different city.
The Lawless City is his type of city. Lawless. He spends the night proving this, going from person to person, place to place, and robbing them. He meets a few people (who he can image standing at the top of a tower, watching on as a revived Queen begins to awaken, as Shadow reveals his impossible strength. One he can imagine taking root in another city, acting as tavern keep). He kills more.
Above him the moon rises, red. He has seen this before. Imagined what lines he'd say, what scenario would play out. All the blood attacks from the rampaging vampire remind him of a fantasy he had a while ago. He'd written down the basics of it then. Bare scribbles that Beta must've seen, and taken onto herself to make true.
Sadly he's too distracted to focus on the craftsmanship of it all, busy attempting to hoard as much gold as possible. He'll apologise to Beta later. Maybe.
On the train home, and as he peers in on his sister back in the city, he again blinks. She's really got it bad. But he imagines her wielding ancient, destructive magic, guided by an ancient, destructive force. And he can't blame her for how she's acting. It's cool, after all.
Not as cool as Shadow, but still cool.
He plays the role of John Smith perfectly. He watches Yukime from the corner of his eyes when they meet. Imagining her in a village littered with destruction, imagining her fight and snarl against a traitorous lover. He smiles to herself. A fitting story for a woman like her.
In agreement to cooperate, he fights Delta and then Alpha. Alpha looks at him with betrayal, deep and hurt. She must be into the game then he thought. He sees her sitting around a table, issuing orders and creating plans. He blinks and the image is gone, and the thought is dissuaded. She's probably just upset he chose not to include her.
So next time, when Epsilon offers for him to accompany her to sort out the whole thing with Rose, he agrees.
There's a reason he's chosen to stay out of this type of daylight politics. All the scheming and underhanded deals done in grand palaces clash with the whole idea of an eminence in shadow he's been cultivating. Especially Rose's fiancee, who was really overdue for having that ring stolen (a white suit, mirror before him, ring-box in hand, prepared for his destiny as he opens it and–). You have to commit. It's either mastermind in darkness or kingmaker under the spotlight.
Luckily, none of it really matters to him. So he spends his time dodging the maid and Epsilon, and instead focuses on helping Rose (she's declaring justice for all, sword in hand as she prepares to die for her people–) become a tyrant. He follows the story beats.
Shows Rose her mother's affair, directs her as Shadow exists to do. Consoles her as Cid, without words. The ring he stole slips out from his pocket at some point (a swirling mass of magic, as death descends upon the world–), but it doesn't matter, it's only a ring.
The wedding goes perfectly. Exactly as a tyrants wedding should. There's the reveal of Shadow Garden, of Shadow, as the trap around Rose's fiance unfurls (a black rose in the sky, blooming, blooming, bloo–). Another player appears (he smiles as he swallow a pill, the consistency reminiscent of a gummy), and so does a grand monster. The final boss of this story, presumably.
Shadow adjusts to his role quickly. The monster never really stood a chance. The portal (to Japan, where there's now monsters and hunters and magic–) to somewhere opens in front of him. He imagines for a moment it goes to Japan, but there's no way that's true.
It sucks him in, as his fingers brush against it. Distantly he hears Beta and Epsilon (and someone else maybe) scream. The rush of magic blinds him for a moment. He opens his eyes. He blinks.
Somehow it really did lead to Japan. Maybe he should try the lottery.